Do you have any authors that make you feel like you've watched them "grow up?" You know, the ones where you come across their first book in hardcover, love it, find their second book, buy it, stalk Barnes and Noble for the third one, and so on. And then, pretty soon, you have a full collection of hardcover books, because you hate to have some in hardcover and some in paperback, so of course, you spend the extra $10. It's only logical, of course.
One of those authors for me is Cecelia Ahern. I read P.S. I Love You (not this linked version though. Apparently when you make a movie from a book, the publicity photo replaces all artwork.) on an airplane out to Thousand Oaks, CA, when I was a senior in high school. I was headed out for an interview for a scholarship and to check out the college, and lugged the book out with me on the plane to read rather than do my make-up work. And I loved it, despite the fact I was 18, not married, and never experienced that kind of grief. It moved me, which I think says a lot about Ahern's talent as a writer.
I, personally, don't think any of her books are as good as her first (and that the movie really doesn't do the book justice, but again, just my opinion). That doesn't mean I don't like them, no; it just means that P.S. I Love You was that good. With the exception of her second book, the rest of her books have some kind of magical elements to them, so really, comparing them would be like comparing apples to oranges (which is not my favorite expression, but it'll do in this particular instance). And her most recent book (which I didn't buy, but found at the library instead), The Book Of Tomorrow is no different.
Basically, the story goes like this: Tamara Goodwin and her mother move to the country to live with her aunt and uncle after her father dies. Her mother is in mourning and never talks with anyone or leaves her room. Bored, Tamara comes across a book that appears to be a diary, but really, it's a book that tells her exactly what's going to happen the next day, and it's up to her to decide what she does with the information. Which, in the process, leads to a mysterious twist that I'm not even going to hint at, because I imagine most of you are not like me and would mind the spoiler.
I think it's one of her best "magic" books, and while it can be predictable in the end, it's not predictable as a whole. And it makes you think about what you would do if you were in the same instance: Would you try and change what happens or just go along with what the book tells you?
I think as a character, Tamara also grows a lot, and the other active characters are well-developed, as well. There's a lot to be said about human nature in all of them, and how their decisions made them who they are, and how certain instances in your life really affect your future.
And with that, I leave you with this small passage I marked, because while it seems very high school girl, I think it's important to remember as we go about our lives:
I learned something important that night. You shouldn't try to stop everything from happening. Sometimes you're supposed to feel awkward. Sometimes you're supposed to be vulnerable in front of people. Sometimes it's necessary because it's all part of you getting to the next part of yourself, the next day. -Cecelia Ahern's The Book Of Tomorrow
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